Commentary: Support for children of unwed parents reflects Singapore’s refreshed social compact
The new child support package fits with the vision of giving every child a good start in life, says Terence Ho from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
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SINGAPORE: There was one small but significant shift in the new SG Child Support Package unveiled at this year’s National Day Rally. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that every Singaporean child will receive almost $70,000 in direct financial support by the time they turn 17.
This includes children born to unmarried parents, who until now have been excluded from the Baby Bonus cash gift. As recently as February this year, the government explained in a parliamentary reply that this benefit was not extended to single unwed parents because it was “designed to encourage parenthood within marriage”.
In fact, such children were previously excluded from Child Development Account (CDA) benefits as well. It was only from September 2016 that children born to unwed parents qualified for government co-matching of their CDA contributions and the one-off First Step Grant (then S$3,000), though they would still be excluded from the Baby Bonus cash gift.
The latest change is welcome for single parents. But there is another significance for all Singaporeans: It suggests an evolution in Singapore’s social compact.
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A GRADUAL SHIFT
The new SG Child Support Package represents the latest step in a broader policy evolution that has gradually extended social benefits to single parents.
There has been a “longstanding tension between the objective of promoting parenthood in the context of marriage (as a social norm the government wishes to uphold) and meeting the needs of single parents, especially those who are lower income,” as I noted in my book Refreshing The Singapore System: Recalibrating Socio-Economic Policy For The 21st Century (2021).
In 2013, paid childcare leave was extended to working single parents. From 2017, maternity leave for unwed mothers was increased from eight to 16 weeks to be on par with that for married mothers.
Further to this, the government announced in 2020 that unmarried single parents aged 21 and above could be considered for new 3-room HDB flats in non-mature estates, rather than having to wait till age 35 like singles.
Even so, there remains a differentiation in benefits according to a parent’s marital status. Notably, a single unwed mother cannot claim Working Mother’s Child Relief, which allows married, divorced or widowed working mothers to directly lower the amount subject to personal income tax.
POSSIBLE TO PROMOTE MARRIAGE WHILE SUPPORTING EVERY CHILD
Extending benefits to children of unwed parents need not mean abandoning incentives for marriage entirely.
The government can continue to encourage marriage through policies directed at adults – including tax and other family benefits – without differentiating the support available to children according to their parents’ marital status.
Singapore’s population challenge, underscored by a record-low fertility rate, makes it all the more important to find ways to pursue both objectives.
It is noteworthy that non-marital births have not risen despite the progressive extension of benefits to children of unwed parents, including CDA benefits from 2016. There was an average of about 745 non-marital births annually to Singapore citizen mothers from 2020 to 2024, compared with more than 1,000 annually from 2006 to 2012.
Past experience thus offers little reason to expect that providing more support to children of unwed parents will, by itself, lead to a significant increase in non-marital births.
“OPEN AND COMPASSIONATE MERITOCRACY”
The eligibility criteria for the SG Child Support Package are now more congruent with the Forward Singapore vision of an inclusive society where every child is given a good start in life.
Support intended for the upbringing and development of a child should not depend on his or her parents’ marital status. Mr Wong has spoken previously of an “open and compassionate meritocracy” where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their starting point in life.
Singapore can continue to value marriage and stable families while ensuring that no child receives less support because of the circumstances into which he or she was born. Otherwise, initial differences in starting points could lead to different life trajectories and entrench social stratification.
More broadly, social policy must respond to people’s needs and circumstances. The government has shown similar pragmatism in other areas.
Housing options for singles, for instance, have been progressively expanded since singles aged 35 and above were first allowed to purchase HDB resale flats in 1991. Restrictions on location and flat size were lifted in 2001 and 2004 respectively, while housing grants for singles have increased.
Since 2013, singles have been able to purchase new 2-room subsidised flats. The government is now reviewing the eligibility age for singles to buy new flats.
This pragmatic approach reflects our refreshed social compact: that the government can adapt policies to people’s lived realities while continuing to advance its broader social objectives.
Terence Ho is Associate Professor in Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and a Nominated Member of Parliament.
Source: CNA/ch
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